“I really didn’t feel safe anymore at home,” says Soy, a former client at Huckleberry House. She is the first young person featured in this PSA created by the National Runaway Safeline.

The PSA was created as a resource to young people seeking help.  Click the image above to watch the full PSA.

This federal PSA campaign was released alongside a study that looks at the varied experiences of homeless youth ages 14-21 in 11 cities.

The study found that more than half the homeless youth became homeless the first time because they were asked to leave by a parent or a caregiver.

On average, youth had been homeless for 23 months. Only 29.5 percent reported they had the option to return home.

The study also found:

• About half the participants had experienced foster care. Those with a foster care history had been homeless for an average of 27.5 months, compared with 19.3 months for their peers.

• Twenty percent of the youth identified as bisexual, 10 percent as gay or lesbian and 6.8 percent as transgender. The percentage of transgender youth was three times higher than a recent national estimate of transgender youth, which the researchers said could reflect the inclusion of several major cities that have providers who are more accepting of transgender youth or provide more culturally appropriate services.
• 14 percent of homeless youth reported caring for a child
• 9 percent were pregnant